The Wii has since become a Heritage Woods social hub, Michael Malina said.

Before the Wii, the 68-year-old said, "many people stayed in their rooms and didn't participate in anything."

Across Illinois and the country, the elderly are increasingly getting their electronic game on, be it through the Wii or other systems.

It's a trend researchers say not only fosters socializing and physical activity, but also keeps seniors sharp and may help stave off depression and improve overall well-being.

And with the senior ranks swelling as more baby boomers retire, it could become a hot target demographic for video game makers in the near future.

"The biggest thing is it encourages participation and activity," said Wayne Smallwood, executive director of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition, which has organized a Wii bowling tournament among Illinois assisted living facilities for the past four years. "Seniors who are frail or who have disabilities who can't heft a bowling ball, they can still do the Wii. There are 85-year-old, 90-year-old women who can kick my butt."

The top Heritage Woods bowling enthusiasts formed a team called "Oy Vey!" and recently placed third statewide among 79 senior squads at the tournament's finals in Decatur.

Team "Oy Vey!" came in second last year, Malina said, and is named after a 101-year-old bowling teammate who often uttered the Yiddish exclamation.

Seventy-nine teams from the state's 138 assisted living facilities played each other in this year's tourney, Smallwood said.

Dr. Jason Allaire, a developmental psychology professor at North Carolina State University, said he first glimpsed the potential benefits of senior video gaming about five years ago, when he introduced his grandmother to the online World of Warcraft game.

She reluctantly started playing, Allaire said, and then five hours passed in a digital blur.

"She said how tired her brain felt" after playing, Allaire said. "She hadn't had to think that much in a long time."

A recent study by Allaire found that 60 percent of seniors sampled reported regular or occasional video game use.

Allaire said most research has focused on video games' ability to keep the elderly brain sharp, but the emotional benefits for seniors is a realm that is only beginning to be explored.

Allaire's study, to be published in the July edition of the Computers in Human Behavior journal, sampled 140 seniors and found that not only do a majority play digital games, but those who do have better scores when it comes to positive emotions and well-being.

"It's going to be an area that more people are going to start looking at," he said.

Gaming systems like the Wii are even more beneficial because physical activity and mental sharpness have strong corollaries, he said.

Video games are also a way for senior citizens to connect with their children and grandchildren.

When she's not bowling the virtual lanes, Heritage Woods resident Joan Schmitz, 75, said she has a PlayStation and a Nintendo in her room and particularly loves the Zelda games.

"My grandkids think I'm the coolest," she said.

Some Heritage Woods residents said they often play at night if they can't sleep, and that the system is open to all.

"You don't occupy it," Kowalewski said. "Nobody occupies it, so no one feels left out, no matter how good or bad."

Still, 86-year-old Elsie Sottile said the games do get heated at times.